An ‘Evening with Glo’ show lights up Onitsha, as indigenes cart away prizes
By Emma Ogbuehi
It was a beautiful evening to remember for some time to come as Globacom spared no cost to organize a beautiful night of pomp and pageantry to herald this year’s edition of the annual Ofala festival in Onitsha.
Tagged, “Evening with Glo,” the event which drew prominent chiefs of Onitsha, illustrious sons and daughters of the kingdom, Glo business partners, customers and friends of the brand, was organized in honour of the Obi of Onitsha, Igwe Nnaemeka Alfred Achebe.
Held at the C.J. Paterson Hall, Enugu Road, Onitsha, the colourful event had celebrity music stars, Kcee and Ikem Mazeli, on duty to treat the guests to a night of entertainment. The event was part of Globacom’s way of marketing Nigeria’s rich cultural heritage to the world stage, music being an essential element of it.
The “Evening with Glo” was, therefore, part of the Glo Heritage series focusing on promoting and projecting the best of Nigerian culture and traditions to the world and the choice of the two music acts resonated with the different segments of the Onitsha community.
Globacom at the event expressed the company’s commitment to always be at the forefront of promoting the culture and traditions of Nigeria to the world as a veritable way of attracting positive attention and tourism to Nigeria at all times.
Ugosinaobichukwu Ikem Mazeli, known to many of his fans in and around Anambra as “Onye nwe egwu” and “Material,” is hugely famous among the people of Onitsha, and so proved to be a good choice to perform for people at the event. Along with his band and dancers, he easily gave a good account of himself.
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Kcee, who took the stage afterwards, literally electrified the hall with an outstanding performance that got many of the guests off their feet throughout his performance. They danced and sang along with him on many of his songs as he serenaded the hall with his band.
Popular for his audience-engaging performance, he spent some good time moving around the hall. While performing, Kcee took time to interact with various segments of the audience.
The event was a befitting prologue to the Ofala festival. And many of the guests expressed joy that they were able to attend the show.
Evening with Glo has become a Globacom signature tune in showcasing music that resonates with the various segments of the Nigerian society. It was recently held at the Ojude Oba festival, which Globacom has consistently supported for two decades.
Rain of prizes as Glo set Ofala aglow in Onitsha
Globacom on Saturday drove home its strong position as Nigeria’s biggest supporter of culture as it registered another superlative showing at this year’s edition of the Ofala Festival.
Held at the Ime Obi, Onitsha, this year’s festival featured the Iru Ofala on Friday and the Azu Ofala on Saturday. The two are the major ceremonies that make up the grand Ofala Festival, a time-honoured tradition of the people of Onitsha.
The Iru Ofala was Obi’s first public appearance after spending weeks in spiritual retreat and communion with the ancestors, in propitiation for the good of the land.
The Imperial Majesty’s appearance in his rich traditional attire and dance around the Ime Obi was significant and symbolic of his readiness to lead his people into a new year of prosperity. The Obi sat resplendent as chiefs, titled men, and subjects paid homage to their king. Other top public figures also paid homage to the Obi at the event. Some of these included the Minister of Art, Culture, Tourism and Creative Economy, Hannatu Musawa; Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon Benjamin Kalu, and several other highly placed individuals.
The Obi lauded Globacom for its strong support for the Festival over the last 14 years. “We thank them for believing in is and trust that the mutual benefit that we all derive from the festival will continue to prevail,” the respected royal father said.
The Azu Ofala, which was the grand finale of the festival, was a time of thanksgiving, joy, and community festivity. The Obi again graced the occasion in a lighter, festive mood, and receiving goodwill messages from dignitaries and visitors.
Globacom provided further excitement at this year’s edition of the festival by presenting prizes to winners in the Ofala promo, which was specifically introduced for the people of Onitsha. The promo ran for four weeks before the Ofala festival and the eventual winners were presented with various prizes, including a brand new Kia Picanto, two tricycles (Keke), power generating sets, grinding machines and so much more.
The car was won by Mrs. Obi Chidinma Esther, a businesswoman in 33 area of Onitsha. An elated Esther was full of life once she received the keys to the car from Onitsha royal chief, Chief Albert Ibekwe, the Odu Osodi, assisted by Globacom’s representative at the event, Tochukwu Okechukwu.
For Tricycles, known widely as Keke, Ibeziakor Onyebuchi Anthony and Ejike Chiememma Gloria emerged winners, taking home the multi million Naira worth machines.
Several other winners of generating sets and grinding machines also smiled home with their prizes.
